Lonely Water was a public information film created by the British Government in 1973 to warn children about the dangers of playing near water. It terrified a generation of kids and made sure that nobody ever went near the “dark and lonely” water. It was filmed like a horror movie and they even hired Donald Pleasance from the original Halloween to do the voice-over. It featured a bunch of kids playing near rivers and ponds while the Grim Reaper watches them die and he seems to really enjoy it.
“I am the Spirit of Dark and Lonely Water, ready to trap the unwary, the show-off, the fool, and this is the kind of place you’d expect to find me. But no-one expects to find me here… it seems too ordinary. But that pool is deep. The boy is showing off. The bank is slippery.”
(A boy dies)
“The show-offs are easy. But the unwary ones are easier still. This branch is weak, rotten, it’ll never take his weight.”
(Another kid dies) (They show a No Swimming sign)
“Only a fool would ignore this. But there’s one born every minute. Under the water there are traps. Old cars, bedsteads, weeds, hidden depths. It’s the perfect place for an accident.”
(A boy falls into the water, but his friends save him)
“Sensible children! I have no power over them! I’ll be back!”
Disturbing fact: Drowning is the third most common cause of accidental death for people under 16 and 80% of people who drown are male.
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